Stroll along the shores from venue to venue, view the classic boats, long boats, canoe, kayak and Dragon boat demonstrations as we commemorate the past, present, and future of Lake Champlain. Experience boat building, sample local fare, enjoy music and bring the children for hands-on exhibits along the spectacular shores of Burlington Vermont's Waterfront.

Evening Ticketed Concerts, Presented by Higher Ground with Twiddle’s Tumble Down and more TBA

International Food Court and Craft Vendors

Beer Tent

Maritime Exhibits

…and much more TBA!

The Lake Champlain Maritime Festival has been named a Top 100 North American Event by the American Bus Association and a Top Ten Vermont Summer Event by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce and is well-supported by both the state and regional chambers, as well as the city of Burlington. Daily admission is free to most events with select events requiring admission.

MAIN STAGE CONCERTS, PRESENTED BY HIGHER GROUND*

PRIMUS Clutch!

Thursday, July 27; Gates: 6pm; Show 7pm

$46, plus $4 day of show; presale: Thursday, 3/23 at 10am, password: jerry; onsale: Friday, 3/24 at 11am. Tickets at www.highergroundmusic.com, by phone at 877.987.6487 in person at the Higher Ground box office

In the summer of 1971, Primus’ Les Claypool was a couple months shy of his eighth birthday when David L. Wolper’s Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory debuted in movie theaters; based on the Roald Dahl book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Like many people of a certain age and temperament, the movie became a perennial favorite that Claypool would come back to repeatedly, throughout different stages of his life, taking something different away from it each time. So it seemed equal parts genius and obvious when he decided to throw a Willy Wonka-themed Primus show on New Year’s Eve last year. During the second set, Primus performed the soundtrack in its entirety. “Of the 23 or so New Years shows, I don’t think we’ve ever had a better combination of elements,” Claypool reflects, seven months later. “It felt good. It felt like we needed to be doing this.”

It felt so good, in fact, that he decided to take Primus into the studio to prepare the soundtrack for an album release. Claypool admits that he’s always, “in some way, wanted to be Willy Wonka,” and, also, that he’s always wanted to work a cover of “The Candyman” — a memorable number from the film’s soundtrack — into Primus sets. “Hell, I’ve been doing the line from the boat ride on stage since the ‘80’s,” then Les sings, ”There’s no earthly way of knowing, which direction we are going…”

The result is an album that Claypool enjoys listening to, as a fan. “One of the things that I’m most impressed with and that I’m most drawn into, on the recording, is Tim’s percussion,” he says. In order to achieve the effect he was going for, Alexander built a drum station that Claypool describes as both “a pile of percussion” and a “huge circle of things to bang on” so dense that Alexander then had to create a door just to enter and exit the thing. “Tim was able to produce these amazing sounds and he does these things that we’ve all loved about him over the years,” says Claypool. “But it’s not your traditional drum kit or rock playing. It’s very orchestral.”

MAIN STAGE CONCERTS, PRESENTED BY HIGHER GROUND*

TWIDDLE’S SECOND ANNUAL TUMBLE DOWN with Special Guests Fruition, Madaila, Aqueous, Midnight North and more!

Friday and Saturday, July 28 and 29; Gates: TBD

Twiddle’s Tumble Down festival is returning to Burlington Vermont’s Waterfront Park for its second year and has officially announced its lineup. Tumble Down’s inception was inspired by Twiddle’s 2015 performance with moe. at the Lake Champlain Maritime Festival, at Burlington’s Waterfront Park. Twiddle is comprised of lead singer and guitarist Mihali Savoulidis, pianist Ryan Dempsey, drummer Brook Jordan, and bassist Zdenek Gubb, aka “Gubb”. The band’s hometown festival, promoted by Higher Ground Presents, will feature two days of music, including four sets by Twiddle, and sets by Fruition, Madaila, Aqueous and Midnight North, as well as day sets from Lucid, Strange Machines, Holly Bowling, Teddy Midnight, Navytrain, and The Mangroves. The two-day music festival will take place on Friday, July 28 and Saturday, July 29. Tickets for Tumble Down are on sale now at http://bit.ly/TumbleDown2017.

In addition to a packed daytime lineup, Tumble Down has partnered with Burlington venues Higher Ground and Nectar’s to host late night shows both nights. On Friday, July 28, Everyone Orchestra conducted by Matt Butler with members of Twiddle, Fruition, Midnight North and Holly Bowling will take over Higher Ground while Gang of Thieves and Backup Planet will perform at Nectar’s. Saturday, July 29, Twiddle’s Mihali & Frends will perform at Higher Ground and Lespecial and Pitch Blak Brass Band will take the stage at Nectar’s. Tickets to late nights are sold separately and not included in a ticket to Tumble Down – tickets: http://ticketf.ly/2mqoaHs.

THE SHINS with TBD

Sunday, July 30; Gates: 6pm

On sale: Friday, March 17 at 10am: $38 Early Bird, $46 General Admission, plus $4 day of show

The Shins are a multiple GRAMMY-nominated American band formed by James Mercer in Albuquerque, NM in 1996. After a few years of self-financed singles, demos and van tours, Sub Pop Records who subsequently released its first three full-length records signed the band. Their debut full-length, Oh, Inverted World caused a seismic shift in the indie rock world upon its release in 2001, singlehandedly ushering in the modern era of the genre. Moved by the strength of verifiably life changing songs like “New Slang”, “Know Your Onion” and “Caring is Creepy,” a generation of artists ditched the previous decade’s lo-fi aesthetic in favor of Oh, Inverted World’s emphasis on melody. Selling nearly a million copies and featuring heavily in the cult classic Garden State, the influence of Oh, Inverted World continues to be as profound as it is wide-reaching. The Shins released their sophomore record, Chutes Too Narrow in 2003. The album garnered near-perfect reviews from The New York Times, MOJO, Rolling Stone, and Q, among numerous others solidifying The Shins’ iconic standing.

The band’s third LP 2007, the epic Wincing The Night Away, debuted at #2 on the Billboard Top 200 moving more than 100,000 copies in its first week of release, and saw their Saturday Night Live debut and a second GRAMMY nomination, once again reaffirming The Shins’ stature as one of the most significant acts of the new millennium. The fourth Shins album, Port of Morrow, was released in 2012 on James Mercer’s own Aural Apothecary label in partnership with Columbia Records. Preceded by “Simple Song,” the highest charting Shins single to date, Port of Morrow debuted at #3 on the Billboard Top 200 and was met with rave reviews: Entertainment Weekly declared it “the band’s best album in almost a decade” and Pitchfork described it as a “triumphant return.” Heartworms, the band’s fifth album, will be released March 10th via Aural Apothecary/Columbia Records. The record will be supported by a world tour on which Mercer will be joined by Yuuki Matthews (bass), Jon Sortland (drums), Mark Watrous (guitar, keys, vocals), Casey Foubert (guitar) and Patti King (keys).

Tickets available online at www.highergroundmusic.com, by phone at 877.987.6487 or802-652-0777 or in person at the Higher Ground Box Office, 1214 Williston Rd., S. Burlington.

THE LAKE CHAMPLAIN 31st ANTIQUE AND CLASSIC BOAT SHOW

The Lake Champlain Antique and Classic Boat Society’s 31st Annual Vintage Boat Show returns to the Lake Champlain Maritime Festival. The Boat Show is a hugely popular event, hosting thousands at Burlington’s Boat House. More than forty-five boats are on exhibit from Vermont, New York and as far away as New Jersey, Connecticut and Maine. Exhibits in most cases are planned by boat manufacture and/or by type of boat. The Lake Champlain Chapter practices skipper judging with judges and skippers voting for their favorite boat in their respective class (Cruiser, Outboard, Utility, Runabout, Sail and more) and during the course of the day boat owners will be available to answer any questions. Attendees have the opportunity to vote for the People’s Choice Award with ballots available at the registration tent.

“What really makes The Lake Champlain Maritime Festival special is that it offers something for everyone; it is a dynamic celebration for children, families and adults of all ages. Stay tuned for other exciting Festival events that are in the works!” says Tara Perkins, Festival Spokesperson and Director of Public Relations.

The Lake Champlain Maritime Festival’s mission is to celebrate the past, present and future of Lake Champlain and the Burlington Waterfront. The Festival is committed to enhancing the visibility and outreach of various non-profit organizations within our community. Please contact the LCMF office at (802) 482-3313 or visit LCMF online: www.lcmfestival.com. For a complete list of Festival sponsors, please visit www.lcmfestival.com | Like the Lake Champlain Maritime Festival on Facebook and follow @LCMFestival on Twitter. Watch our featured Festival video, please visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDtZYIfXDoU